DND Report: The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, visited Pakistan on 27 February 2025. This was his first visit to Pakistan as the Crown Prince, and he arrived with a high-level delegation, including Ministers and senior officials, as well as prominent business leaders.
According to Pakistan’s Ambassador in UAE Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, during the visit, the Crown Prince engaged in wide-ranging interactions with the leadership of Pakistan, to exchange views on matters of mutual interest, reinforce historical bonds and promote economic as well as investment cooperation.
Ambassador Tirmizi, this visit bolstered the existing robust framework for long-term collaboration in multifaceted sectors and is expected to open new opportunities for joint ventures and projects aimed at furthering economic cooperation between both the countries and their peoples. The visit of Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan demonstrates commitment of two countries to elevate the cooperation, reflective of growing partnership and robust people-to-people linkages.
Pakistan and the UAE relations have a long history covering almost half a century, and the UAE’s founding father and first president Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan used to consider Pakistan as his second home. He used to visit Pakistan regularly and he provided jobs to over two million Pakistani laborers, constructed hospitals, sponsored schools, and his legacy continues today. Since then, UAE-Pakistan have always enjoyed a relationship characterized by mutual respect, trust, and shared aspirations. UAE has always been kind with Pakistan by providing direct financial help and support in several infrastructure projects all over Pakistan, particularly in former FATA and KPK province. Whenever Pakistan has economic crunch, it looks towards friends like UAE for financial assistance. Recently, UAE bailed Pakistan out of economic sickness and to manage Pakistan’s balance of payments.
UAE is assisting many projects including some cadet schools, hospitals and orphanages in Pakistan, and its help to Pakistan during the 2005 earthquake, 2010 floods and 2022 floods would never be forgotten by Pakistanis because in these time of hardship, UAE government stood with Pakistani people with their financial, administrative, technical and psychological support. Some public and private organizations have been engaged in Pakistan for philanthropic activities since the 1970s. However, the last 20 years are significant for infrastructure developments in Pakistan and since the 2005 earthquake, UAE played an exceptional role in supporting Pakistan in the Health and Education sector.
It is pertinent to mention that UAE provided humanitarian aid and other support to Pakistan after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. UAE committed $100 million in aid, provided 211 quake-resistant houses to affected families, sent rescue teams and Dubai police to Pakistan and adopted 200 families affected by the earthquake for constant support for a certain time. It would be remembered in history that after listening to news of the earthquake in 2005, UAE immediately dispatched humanitarian aid and rescue teams to support the quake-hit areas and thousands of injured were airlifted to UAE’s hospitals for treatment under the direct supervision of the UAE Embassy in Pakistan.
UAE Project to Assist Pakistan (UAE PAP) had been helping Pakistan from school bags of children to roads and bridges in KPK and former FATA, including food for poor people.
UAE Project to Assist Pakistan (UAE PAP) includes:
Hospitals/clinics in Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Southern Waziristan and Bajaur. UAE PAP took the initiative to help Pakistan by building and equipping 60 educational projects per modern international standards. UAE sponsored 53 projects as a first stage. Educational projects were carried out in many regions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Southern Waziristan, Bajaur and Mohmand Agency.
UAE also helped in Swat Valley and north-western areas of Pakistan for mitigating seasonal floods. Road network in Southern Waziristan is also done with the help of the UAE.
In the Education sector, the UAE management distributed 60,000 school bags among poor families and orphans in 2012/2013, and thousands of male and female students heading for their schools were carrying UAE PAP bags which testified to the support offered by the friendly UAE.
The UAE Pakistan Assistance Program (UAE PAP) launched the “EMIRATES POLIO CAMPAIGN” in Pakistan under the slogan “HEALTHY AND BRIGHT FUTURE FOR ALL”. This project also provided great help to manage displaced people due to the military operation in former FATA. It offered Pakistan 193,000 baskets of foodstuff and 700 tents to distribute to the homeless hit by floods and military operations in 2012, 2013 and 2014. In addition, 55 tons of dates were distributed to the poor and the needy in various areas and provinces.
“UAE wants Pakistan to stand on its feet and face economic challenges, and it would not need financial support or charities from UAE, rather it could stand with UAE as support instead of a piece of baggage”
In 2009, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and UNHCR signed a partnership agreement to support vital humanitarian operations in Pakistan. The project provided support to internally displaced people (IDPs), mainly women and children, living in precarious conditions. The partnership included procurement of basic relief items such as tents, blankets, sleeping mats, plastic sheeting, mosquito nets and kitchen sets to displaced Pakistani families living in some 21 camps or with host families. It is pertinent to mention that UNHCR considered that the crisis was ‘grave’ with more than 2 million displaced Pakistanis from KPK and former FATA and their support was almost impossible for UNHCR and the government of Pakistan without the direct help of UAE. UNHCR confirmed that it could not work to help IDPs without the direct support of UNHCR-Khalifa Foundation cooperation and considered it as one of the most important partnerships UNHCR embarked upon in the region in the last decade. Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nehayan Foundation, which was established in 2007, always helped Pakistan whenever there was a demand for help in Pakistan. It implements charitable activities, assists the needy, provides educational assistance, as well as social, health, and religious services.
The support Pakistan got when terrible floods hit Pakistan in 2010. UAE provided aid to Pakistan after the 2010 floods through humanitarian assistance, infrastructure rehabilitation, and reconstruction. The UAE Armed Forces sent relief forces to Pakistan and the UAE government launched a relief program to provide food and shelter to people affected by the floods in Balochistan and the UAE donated $2.5 million to the Army Relief Fund for flood victims. The UAE kept supporting Pakistan in the post-flood scenario and completed clean water projects in flood-hit areas and played a pivotal role in helping Pakistan to overcome the consequences of the floods through reconstruction. The Pakistan-UAE Partnership (PAP) was launched in January 2011 to help Pakistan overcome the consequences of the floods.
After 2022 floods, the Emirates Red Crescent Authority, Dubai Cares, and Sharjah Charity Association, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Ministry of Community Development in the UAE, launched the “We Stand Together” volunteering initiative, which aims to assemble urgent relief kits for families affected by the devastating torrential monsoon rains and floods in Pakistan. The “We Stand Together” initiative was led by humanitarian and charitable organizations and calls upon the public to show solidarity with affected Pakistani families. The Emirates Red Crescent Authority, Dubai Cares, and Sharjah Charity Association invited volunteers to register to participate in the initiative. Among the organizations which joined the initiative included Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment, The Big Heart Foundation, Dar Al Ber, International Humanitarian City, UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia UAE), Sharjah Charity House, International Charity Organisation and Emirates Charitable Association. Under this initiative, the relief kits, food supplies such as flour, rice, lentils, and oil, among other non-perishable items, were provided while the hygiene kits included essential toiletries for women and children, such as diapers, sanitary napkins, and soaps, etc.
The time has changed, so the dynamics of the relationship. UAE wants Pakistan to stand on its feet and face economic challenges, and it would not need financial support or charities from UAE, rather it could stand with UAE as support instead of a piece of baggage. Having this vision in mind, the UAE’s leadership is offering Pakistan enormous economic opportunities and Pakistan just needs to be a country that has potential, will, and an administrative system to take maximum advantage of these opportunities. The visit of Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Islamabad will surely open new opportunities for Pakistan and will start a new era of Pakistan-UAE relationship that has been spreading over half a century.
